User Manual | CAMPP

Install CAMPP

CAMPP is a local web development stack: Caddy (web server), PHP, MySQL or MariaDB, PostgreSQL, phpMyAdmin and Adminer in one app. It runs from your own user folder, so no admin rights are needed.

Windows: CAMPP-x64.exe (recommended) or .msi. Portable .zip files run without installing; the offline one already includes all runtimes.
macOS: the universal.dmg works on Apple Silicon and Intel. Open it and drag CAMPP to Applications.
Linux: .deb (Ubuntu/Debian), .rpm (Fedora/openSUSE), .AppImage or a portable .tar.gz.

On Windows, SmartScreen may warn about an unknown app. Click More info then Run anyway. macOS builds are signed and notarized by Apple.

First run

The first time you open CAMPP, a short setup wizard downloads the runtimes you choose.

Click Get Started on the welcome screen.
Choose the components you want and pick a version for each. Caddy and PHP are required.
On the same screen, set a root password for each database you install (MySQL/MariaDB and PostgreSQL). Remember it: you use it to log in to the databases.
Click Download & Install. CAMPP downloads and sets everything up.
When it finishes, click Continue to Dashboard.

On Linux, if the wizard lists missing system packages, install them with your package manager and click Retry Check.

Start and stop services

The CAMPP Services page with Caddy, PHP-FPM, MySQL and PostgreSQL running — Services: each row shows the version, port and status, with a switch to start or stop it.

The Services page lists every installed service. Use the switch on a row to start or stop it, the round arrow to restart it, or Start all / Stop all at the top.

The cards below the list open your Website, phpMyAdmin, Adminer or your Projects folder. The first three need Caddy to be running.

Service	Default port	Address
Web server (Caddy)	8080	`http://localhost:8080`
PHP-FPM	9000	Internal, used by Caddy
MySQL / MariaDB	3307	`127.0.0.1:3307`
PostgreSQL	5433	`127.0.0.1:5433`

CAMPP uses these non-standard ports so it can run next to a MySQL or PostgreSQL you may already have installed.

Your projects

Put each website in its own folder inside the projects folder. To open it, click the Projects folder card on the Services page.

projects/
├── my-site/
│   ├── index.php
│   └── style.css
└── shop/
    └── index.html

http://localhost:8080/my-site/ runs my-site/index.php.
A folder with an index.html is served as a static site.
A missing page, or a folder without index.php or index.html, shows 404 Not Found. Link to the file directly, for example /my-site/report.php.

The CAMPP welcome page showing the PHP and Caddy versions and links to PHP info, phpMyAdmin and Adminer — http://localhost:8080 shows the CAMPP welcome page with your PHP version and quick links.

Databases

Setting	MySQL / MariaDB	PostgreSQL
Host	`127.0.0.1`	`127.0.0.1`
Port	`3307`	`5433`
User	`root`	`root`
Password	The root password you set during setup	The root password you set during setup

Connect from PHP with PDO:

<?php
$mysql = new PDO('mysql:host=127.0.0.1;port=3307;dbname=test;charset=utf8mb4', 'root', 'your-password');
$pgsql = new PDO('pgsql:host=127.0.0.1;port=5433;dbname=postgres', 'root', 'your-password');

Use 127.0.0.1 rather than localhost for MySQL. With localhost, PHP tries a local socket instead of the TCP port.

The phpMyAdmin login page — phpMyAdmin (http://localhost:8080/phpmyadmin): log in as root with your database password.

The CAMPP Adminer launcher with Log in buttons for MySQL and PostgreSQL — Adminer (http://localhost:8080/adminer): pick MySQL or PostgreSQL, then type your database password.

phpMyAdmin and Adminer always ask for your password. This keeps your databases safe if you share your site on the network.

Components

The Components page shows each component and its installed version. Install adds a missing one, Uninstall removes it, and Reinstall lets you pick another version.

The Reinstall PHP dialog with a version picker — Reinstall: choose a version, then click Reinstall.

To get the latest security fixes for PHP, open Components → PHP → Reinstall and pick the version marked Latest.

Stop all services before installing, reinstalling or removing a component.

Settings

Network: Local only (default) means only this computer can open your sites. LAN lets other devices on your network reach them.
Ports: change a port if another program already uses it.
Database passwords: type a new root password, or leave the field empty to keep the current one. The current password is never shown.
Delete all projects and databases: empties the projects folder and deletes every database. No backup is made, so back up first.

Settings can only be changed while all services are stopped. The theme (System, Light, Dark) can be switched any time with the icons at the bottom of the sidebar.

Backup and restore

The Backup page with Open folder and Back up now buttons — Backup: one zip with your projects and all database data.

Click Stop all on the Services page.
Open Backup and click Back up now. The zip appears in the list.
To go back to a backup, click Restore. CAMPP saves your current state first (marked before restore), so a restore can be undone.
Click Delete to remove a backup you no longer need.

Open folder shows where backups are stored. To move to another computer, copy the zip into that computer's backups folder.

Database data can only be restored on the same operating system (Windows, macOS or Linux). To move databases between systems, export them with phpMyAdmin or Adminer and import them on the other computer.

Share with other devices

By default CAMPP only answers on 127.0.0.1, so nobody else can reach your sites or databases.

LAN mode (Settings → Network) lets phones and other computers on the same network open your site, for example http://192.168.1.20:8080.
ngrok (Windows) gives your site a public internet address. Install ngrok on the Components page, paste your authtoken from ngrok.com in Settings, then start ngrok on the Services page.

Use LAN mode and ngrok only on networks you trust, and set strong database passwords. Settings warns you when a password is weak while LAN mode is on.

Troubleshooting

The Debug page with system information, folders, port check and reset — Debug: versions, folders, a port check and a full reset.

A service won't start: open Debug → Port check. If a port is In Use, another program uses it; change the port in Settings.
Can't log in to phpMyAdmin or Adminer: use root and the database password. Set a new one in Settings → Database passwords.
Need help: click Copy diagnostics and paste the result into a GitHub issue.
Start over: Reset installation deletes the runtimes, databases and settings. Your projects folder and backups are kept.

Where CAMPP keeps your files

System	Location
Windows	The folder CAMPP is installed in (default `%LOCALAPPDATA%\CAMPP`), or where you unzipped the portable version
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/campp`
Linux	`~/.local/share/campp`

Inside it: projects (your sites), mysql/data and pgsql/data (databases), backups, logs and runtime (the downloaded programs). Debug → Folders shows the exact paths on your computer.